Woodside Priory School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
SAT, ACT, and PSAT Tutoring for Woodside Priory School Students
SAT and ACT for Woodside Priory Students
The ACT changed in 2025; Science is now optional and does not count toward the composite. Michael assesses both tests during the free trial and recommends based on actual performance.
Testing Strategy for Woodside Priory Students
Woodside Priory's academic calendar, residential culture, and Benedictine structure create students who manage time deliberately and work within a framework. That disposition maps well to standardized test strategy. The SAT and ACT have consistent formats, consistent timing, and consistent question types, a student who can learn and apply a systematic approach performs better than one who treats each question as an improvisation.
Michael's Mr. Test Prep Method™ is built around exactly this: identifying the patterns and strategies that are consistent across test questions, and drilling them until execution becomes automatic rather than effortful. For Priory students accustomed to the structure of Benedictine academic life, this approach tends to feel natural.
The Priory's college list often includes Georgetown, Notre Dame, Santa Clara University, and a mix of liberal arts and Jesuit-affiliated universities, schools where strong test performance can matter and where the Priory's character-based education is valued alongside academic achievement. Georgetown requires standardized test scores. Notre Dame requires them. Santa Clara University's current policy should be verified directly on their admissions page, as requirements have evolved.
One logistical note: Woodside Priory boarding students taking SAT or ACT exams register at the closest available testing center rather than at their school. Menlo-Atherton High School and Palo Alto High School are the nearest major test centers. Bay Area centers fill quickly. Priory students and families should register on the first day the test registration window opens, which is typically several months before the test date.
“He doesn’t merely teach the right answers, rather he provides his students with the mental tools and strategies necessary to think critically. One of the most important tools he focuses on is confidence. Michael saw something in me, from our first session together, and cultivated that spark and turned it into something great.”
Daisy Alvarado-Muñoz · Woodside Priory School 2013 · Brown University 2017
How the Program Works
The Trial Session
Free Two-Hour Trial
The free trial on Zoom includes a diagnostic, direct work with Michael, and a follow-up call with both student and parent. Michael presents a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic. No financial commitment until both sides agree.
Every Session
The Session Format
Sessions are two hours long and combine individualized coaching, structured practice, and timed work using official SAT and ACT material. Students stay actively engaged while receiving ongoing guidance and feedback from Michael throughout the session. No homework.
The Guarantee
Score Satisfaction Guarantee
Students who complete the agreed program and are not satisfied with their results continue at no additional cost after the agreed session cap until they are satisfied or available testing opportunities have been exhausted.
The Mr. Test Prep Method™ and A-Game Access™
The Mr. Test Prep Method™ builds the execution strategies and pattern recognition that transfer directly to test conditions. A-Game Access™ is the mindfulness and peak performance system built into every session — addressing the gap between practice performance and test-day performance.
Preparation Timelines
Common Starting Points
- January, sophomore year — particularly for students with National Merit goals.
- Summer before junior year — the period after July 4th is a common starting point for junior-year test dates.
- Summer before senior year — depending on goals and testing plans.
What the Trial Session Produces
The diagnostic produces a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
Frequently Asked Questions: Woodside Priory School SAT, ACT & PSAT Tutoring
How does the no-homework policy fit Priory students' schedules?
Priory boarding students have structured and demanding schedules. The no-homework policy means the program adds no burden outside of session time. Everything happens inside the two-hour Zoom session.
Explore Tutoring by School
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Related Pages
What Woodside Priory Families Say
4 Woodside Priory families have written about working with Mr. Test Prep — students and parents both. They are collected together in the full archive, alongside every testimonial received since 1997.
Book Your Free 2-Hour Trial Session
Free Two-Hour Trial for Woodside Priory School Students
The trial is a two-hour Zoom session where your student works through a diagnostic with guidance and feedback from Michael throughout. Afterward Michael calls both student and parent with a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
The trial is free with no obligation to continue.
